Palo Alto Networks vs Sapphire
Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Sapphire is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Palo Alto Networks targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Palo Alto Networks includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Buyer brief
Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Sapphire is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Palo Alto Networks targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Palo Alto Networks includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Palo Alto Networks is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Sapphire is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR | UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC |
| Price | Cortex XDR Pro platform: ~$81/endpoint/yr; MDR extra | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 1/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Requires own platform | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Warranty | Available | None listed |
- Best fit
- Enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR
- Price
- Cortex XDR Pro platform: ~$81/endpoint/yr; MDR extra
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- Available
- Best fit
- UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Palo Alto NetworksPLATFORM | SapphireTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Positive | Mixed |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Requires their platform | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Cortex XDR (native, required for full endpoint D&R)Third-party EDR telemetry (MSIAM 2.0, Feb 2026) | EDR toolsMicrosoft technologies |
| SIEM integrations | Cortex XSIAM (native) | ExabeamSIEM tools |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | Custom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Cortex XDR Pro: ~$81/endpoint/year reported (platform only, pricing sources vary). Unit 42 MDR service is additional custom pricing. Total cost depends on endpoints, tier, coverage scope, and contract terms. | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | ✓ | – |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | Yes | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Subscription-based, custom pricing. Cortex XDR/XSIAM platform license required as prerequisite, with Unit 42 MDR service as additional subscription. | Custom quote. Sapphire does not publish MDR package pricing. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Cortex XDR/XSIAM platform license is a significant prerequisite cost on top of MDR service fee. Cortex Data Lake storage costs are separate and scale with data volume. Renewal price increases reported by community (up to 225% per some Gartner reviews). Best experience requires native Cortex XDR agent, third-party EDR support available via MSIAM 2.0 but with reduced fidelity. Enterprise pricing only, not accessible for SMBs | Public pages do not publish response SLAs or exact response-authority rules.. MDR, MXDR and OT SOC scope can differ materially, so buyers should define monitored surfaces in the order form.. The page publishes vendor-reported comparative metrics without independent methodology.. IR hours are included as standard, but buyers should confirm number of hours, coverage triggers and overage rates. |
| Data portability | Limited | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year | Custom |
| Channels | PortalEmailPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | Europe |
| Onboarding | 4-8 weeks typical for enterprise | Sapphire references onboarding and implementation that can be shorter than expected, but no standard public MDR onboarding timeline was found. |
| Industry focus | Government/Public SectorFinancial ServicesHealthcareTechnologyCritical Infrastructure | Public SectorDefenceFinancial ServicesProfessional ServicesIndustrialsManufacturingOperational TechnologyHealthcare |
| MTTD | Not formally published. Customers report up to 90% reduction. 2x faster than average MDR participant (Frost & Sullivan 2024). Green Bay Packers case study: 5-minute response time. | Not published |
| MTTR | Not formally published. Green Bay Packers case study: median resolution time 42 minutes with Cortex XSIAM. Customers report up to 90% reduction in MTTR. | Not published |
| Community view | PeerSpot 8.4/10 (Cortex XDR platform, not MDR-specific). Frost & Sullivan Frost Radar Leader Global MDR 2024 and 2025. Strong detection capabilities and threat intelligence praised. Pricing is the most consistent complaint. No G2 MDR listing. No Reddit discussion specific to Unit 42 MDR found. | Sapphire has limited MDR-specific community review volume. The public buyer case is strongest for UK ownership, UK-based SOC delivery, CREST SOC accreditation and IT/OT services depth. Buyers should validate response authority, price, metrics and the exact split between MDR, MXDR, OT SOC and incident-response work. |
| Compliance | SOC 2+ (aligned to HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, UK NCSC)ISO 27001FedRAMP ModerateDoD IL5StateRAMP | ISO 27001NISTHIPAADORACyber Essentials PlusCRESTGDPRPCI DSS |
| Certifications | SOC 2+ (with HIPAA Security Rule alignment)ISO 27001FedRAMP Moderate (Cortex XDR, Cortex Data Lake, Prisma Access, Prisma Cloud, WildFire)DoD IL5StateRAMPGovRAMP | CREST SOCCREST Penetration TestingCyber Essentials PlusISO 27001 |
| Founded | 2005 | 1996 |
| Data retention | Cortex Data Lake: ~$11,000 per 1TB. Retention configurable by customer. | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between Palo Alto Networks and Sapphire?
Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Sapphire is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Palo Alto Networks covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 4 for Sapphire.
How do Palo Alto Networks and Sapphire differ in response capabilities?
Palo Alto Networks supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Sapphire supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Palo Alto Networks and included with Sapphire.
How does Palo Alto Networks pricing compare to Sapphire?
Palo Alto Networks pricing: Cortex XDR Pro: ~$81/endpoint/year reported (platform only, pricing sources vary). Unit 42 MDR service is additional custom pricing. Total cost depends on endpoints, tier, coverage scope, and contract terms.. Sapphire pricing: Not published. Watch for with Palo Alto Networks: Cortex XDR/XSIAM platform license is a significant prerequisite cost on top of MDR service fee; Cortex Data Lake storage costs are separate and scale with data volume. Watch for with Sapphire: Public pages do not publish response SLAs or exact response-authority rules.; MDR, MXDR and OT SOC scope can differ materially, so buyers should define monitored surfaces in the order form..
Should I choose Palo Alto Networks or Sapphire?
Choose Palo Alto Networks if: enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR. Choose Sapphire if: uK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC. Palo Alto Networks is not ideal for sMBs or budget-constrained organizations (significant platform prerequisites plus MDR service fee). Sapphire is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing or contractual response SLAs before sales engagement.
Daylight Security
AI-native MDR for buyers comparing active remediation across endpoint, cloud, identity, and SaaS. Daylight works with existing EDR/SIEM stacks and uses ChatOps-native collaboration, so it can be a useful third reference point in this comparison.